Good communication habits for everyone

21th Jun, 2019

Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to another. Every communication involves (at least) one sender, a message and a recipient. This may sound simple, but communication is a very complex subject.

The transmission of the message from the sender to the recipient can be affected by a huge range of things. These include our emotions, the cultural situation, the medium used to communicate, and even our location. The complexity is why good communication skills are considered so desirable by people around the world: accurate, effective and unambiguous communication is extremely hard. 

Here we have listed certain good communication habits useful for everyone.

- Get the other person’s attention before you start speaking. If they are ready to communicate, they are less likely to miss anything

- Don’t shout, don’t speak too loudly, and don’t overemphasize your words. Just speak clearly and naturally

- Don’t speak too quickly or too slowly. Again, just speak clearly and naturally

- Make sure your face can be seen clearly. Lighting should be adequate and there should be nothing covering your mouth or face (speech is picked up by the eyes as well as the ears)

- Background noises can make understanding more difficult. Turn off sources of noise (e.g., running water) before having a conversation. Alternatively, move to a quieter area, if possible

- Don’t talk to someone in another room. The further away you are, the harder it is to hear. Make sure you are in the same room and close enough to be easily heard and seen

- Rephrase rather than repeat. Sometimes different words will be easier to understand

- Be on the lookout for misunderstandings. Ask questions from time to time to make sure that the person has understood what you have said

- Relax and be patient. Sometimes it can be stressful and tiring trying to follow the conversation when you have a hearing loss. If you relax, it can help others relax and enjoy the conversation too

- Encourage the person you know to seek the advice of a hearing care professional and to have a hearing test. A hearing test is relatively quick, easy, and painless. Consider going with them to keep them company and to help collect information.

We hope this blog was helpful and you will imbibe these good communication habits in your day to day work.